Portion of proceeds go to Carla's Circle Fund, dedicated to traffic collision victim Carla Swart
On Thursday, the movie "Chasing Legends" will premiere during San Luis Obispo's annual film festival. The movie follows the HTC team through the 2009 Tour de France. The movie start time is 7pm at the Fremont theater. Parts of the proceeds will go to the fund for Carla Swart, the Carla's Circle Fund. Swart was killed in a traffic accident in her native South Africa in January.
Jason Barry directed the movie that follows the team through the entire three-week race around France. A wide range of cameras and angles was used, to produce a dynamic movie. The shots were taken from helicopters, motorbikes and team cars. There is also a lot of behind-the-scenes material that shows what is going after the racers cross the finish line.
Several HTC items will be auctioned off, including a Specialized bicycle. Former HTC-Highroad riders Kim Anderson and Aaron Olsen attend the event as well. The proceeds will be split between Carla's Circle Fund and the SLO Bike Coalition. The bike coalition is an organization to promote safe cycling and offers educational classes through the League of American Bicyclists.
Safer cycling is on the team's mind, especially after the terrible death of Swart in a training accident. The team said in the press release that Swart was one of the most talented young riders in the world. "She was 23 years old, with an incredible collegiate career behind her. HTC-Highroad was honored to have been her first professional team, even for such a short while. Donations to help Carla's family can be made independently at www.highroadsports.com/carlas_circle."
The predecessor of HTC, Team Telekom, has already produced a successful movie in 2004, with stunning pictures from the Tour de France. That German production, Höllentour (English title: "Hell on Wheels"), was directed by Pepe Danquart and Werner Schweizer.